Corona ball



July 24, 1962 R. w. HARMON 3,046,327

CORONA BALL Filed June 10, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 6 INVENTOR.

ROBERT W. HARMO/V ATTORNEY July 24, 1962 R. w. HARMON 3, ,3

CORONA BALL Filed June 10. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ROBERT m HARMO/V A TTOR/VE) United States Patent Office 3,046,327Patented July 24, 1962 3,646,327 CORONA BALL Robert W. Harmon,Doylestown, Ohio, assignor to The Ohio Brass Company, Mansfield, Ohio, acorporation of New Jersey Filed June 10, 1959, Ser. No. 819,424 8Claims. (Cl. 174-73) This invention relates to anti-corona apparatusand, particularly, to a corona ball for high voltage electricalconductors.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a corona ball forhigh voltage electrical conductors which is adapted for installation andremoval while the line is energized.

The invention, together with the features, objects and advantagesthereof, will be clearly understood by reference to the followingdetailed specification and claims, taken in connection with the appendeddrawings, in which FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the coronaball of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view shoWing the organization of the corona ballduring installation thereof on a transmission line conductor.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the organization of the corona ballwhen installation is complete;

FIG. 4 is an end View and FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the coronaball of the invention prior to installation thereof;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the corona ball taken in the direction 6-6in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the corona ball taken in the direction 77in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is an end view partly broken away showing an alternate embodimentof the corona ball of the invention.

Referring first to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the corona ball 10 is constitutedas a substantially spherical metal body, formed in two parts, indicatedat 11 and 12, together with a screw fastener 13. The body parts 11 and12 are formed as shells having a substantially smooth polished exteriorand with circular recesses 14 and 15 for receiving an electricalconductor 16 constituted by a cable 17 and armor rods 18.

The corona ball 10 is secured to the conductor 16 by the clamping actionexerted between the two body parts 11 and 12 and by the fastener screw13. The body of the ball provides a smooth electrical transition betweenthe armor rods 18 and the cable 17 and eliminates the electricaldiscontinuity which would otherwise tend to produce corona dischargeswhen the conductor 16 is energized at high voltages. The corona ball 10serves, additionally, as a mechanical clamping means for restraining theends of the armor rods 18.

As shown, particularly in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the body part 11 is formedsubstantially as a three-quarter sphere having perpendicular faces 19and 20 disposed parallel to planes perpendicularly through alongitudinal axis co-axially through the openings 14 and 15. The bodypart 12 is formed substantially as a quarter sphere and hasperpendicular faces 21 and 22 which join the faces 19 and 20 when theparts are in assembled relation to produce a substantially sphericalexterior.

The body part 11 is formed with a tongue 23 which extends from theinterior wall of the body part 11,'opposite the open part thereof,outwardly from the face 19. The tongue 23 is formed with a threadedopening 24 which is directed in a diametral direction, in a planeperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the ball, and receives thescrew fastener 13. The body part 12 is, accordingly, attached to thebody part 11 by tightening the screw fastener 13 in the opening 24 so asto bring the faces 21 and 22 of the part 12 against the faces 19 and 20,respectively, of the body part 11. Alternatively, the parts may be sodimensioned that the tongue 23 is effective as a stop. In eithercircumstance, a suflicient clamping force should be exerted between thebody parts and the cable 17 and armor rods 18.

The arrangement of the screw fastener 13, the tongue 23 and the opening24 is of some importance since the head 25 of the fastener 13 issymmetrically related to the external surface of the body part 12. Thehead 25 is received in a recess 26 formed in the outer surface of thebody part 12 so that the outer face of the head 25 is flush with theexterior surface of the body part; Due to a rounding of the head 25, theelectrical discontinuity at the peripheral extremities of the head andof the recess 26 is minimized.

The body part 11 and the tongue 23 have the adjacent parts 27 and 28configured to receive the parts of the conductor 16 during assembly anddisassembly of the apparatus. Particularly, the tapered portion of thebody part 11, indicated at 27, facilitates assembly of the corona ballon an energized transmission line conductor, since the body part 12 maybe positioned, as shown in FIG. 4, by hand, and installation completedby turning the part 12 and tightening the fastener 13. Additionally, thetongue serves to facilitate installation since it serves as alongitudinal positioning means, abutting the armor rods 18, duringinstallation.

It will be evident that the corona ball may be easily installed on orremoved from an energized power line by use of hot-line tools. In orderto install the corona ball, only a grasping means for positioning andholding the body part 11 on the conductor and a screw driver forpositioning the cover 12 and tightening the screw 13 are required. Thecorona ball may be removed by loosening the screw 13.

The corona ball 10 may be formed of any suitable material having goodelectrical conductivity and a low corrosive rate, such as aluminum. Anyconvenient manufacturing operations may be employed and the tongue 23may be formed as an integral part of the body part 11 or separatelytherefrom.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 8, the corona ball 30is formed with two hemispherical body parts 31 and 32 with two circularrecesses 34 and 35 at the ends of the body for receiving the conductor.The tongue 33 extends arcuately from the body part 31 about theconductor opening defined by the recesses 34 and 35 and has the bodypart 32 attached thereto by means of a screw fastener '36. Installationor removal of the corona ball 30 ordinarily requires disassembly of thetwo parts 31 and 32.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description is not intended torestrict the scope of the invention and that various rearrangements ofthe parts and modifications of the design may be resorted to. Thefollowing claims are directed to combinations of elements which embodythe invention or inventions of this application.

Iclaim:

1. A corona device for an electrical conductor comprising a hollow metalbody having two complementary exterior surface defining parts with acommon longitudinal axis and cooperating adjoining faces, recesses inthe said parts at opposed extremities thereof along the said axis forreceiving the conductor, a tongale extending outward from a face of oneof the said parts and within the remaining part, with adjacent portionsof the tongue and the remaining face of the said one part spaced aparton opposite sides of the recesses to receive the conductor when thecomplementary parts are separated and a screw fastener received throughan opening in the remaining said part and threaded into the said tongue,all for assembly of the said two parts upon the conductor by turningmovement of the screw fastener.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 in which the body issubstantially the sphere, the said remaining part has an extent somewhatgreater than one-fourth of the circumference in a plane perpendicular tothe axis, and the screw fastener is directed along a lineperpendicularly through the said axis midway between the axialextremities of the body for pivotal movement of the said remaining parton the screw fastener to expose the recesses.

3. The invention in accordance with claim 1 in which the body issubstantially a sphere and each part extends equally about the axis in aplane perpendicular to the axis, and the screw fastener is directedalong a line through the said axis perpendicular to the plane of thefaces of the parts.

4. A corona device for an electrical conductor comprising a generallyspherical metal shell formed in two parts, one part thereof constitutedas a circumferential part having a common longitudinal axis with theremaining part, and the two parts having cooperating and adjoining facesand recesses at opposed extremities of the said parts coaxial with thelongitudinal axis for receiving the conductor, a tongue extendingcircumferentially from a face of one of the parts and circumferentiallyinto the said remaining part with adjacent portions of the tongue andthe remaining face of the said one part spaced apart on opposite sidesof the recesses to receive the conductor, and a screw fastener receivedthrough an opening in the said remaining part and threaded into the saidtongue, all for assembly of the said two parts in sphericallysymmetrical relation on the conductor.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 4 in which the screw fasteneris disposed in a diametral direction perpendicular to the plane of theremaining face of the said one part for pivotal movement of the saidremaining part about the screw fastener into a position over the saidone part for exposing the recesses to permit inscrtion of the conductorand for pivotal movement into complementary relation with the said onepart in assembled relation on the conductor.

6. A corona device for an electrical conductor comprising a generallyspherical metal shell formed in two parts, one part thereof constitutedas a circumferential part having a common longitudinal axis with theremaining part, and the two parts having cooperating and adjoining facesand coaxial recesses at opposed extremities thereof for receiving theconductor, a tongue extending outwardly from a face of one of the partsand circumferentially within the said remaining part, and a screwfastener received through an opening in the said remaining part andthreaded into the said tongue, the said remaining part having acircumferential extent less than one-half but greater than one-fourth ofthe distance about the axis and pivoting about the screw fastener andover the said one part to expose the recesses in the said one part forinserting the cable therein, all for assembly of the said two parts inspherically symmetrical relation on the conductor by movement of thesaid remaining part about the screw fastener and into complementaryrelation to the said one part.

7. The invention in accordance with claim 6 in which the adjacentportions of the tongue and the said one part opposite the axis arespaced to receive the conductor.

8. The invention in accordance with claim 6 in which the screw fasteneris directed along a line perpendicular to the line of the remaining faceof the said one part.

Casey Apr. 16, 1935 Nichols May 4, 1948

